


First Sight

by starsoverhead



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: M/M, preslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-27
Updated: 2012-07-27
Packaged: 2017-11-10 20:49:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/470541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsoverhead/pseuds/starsoverhead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spencer Reid is new to Washington and new to profiling.  A visit to the park is a good chance to practice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Sight

So far, he mostly liked Washington DC. True, the apartment he’d moved into was tiny beyond tiny, but he was sure he could find enough bookshelves in some of the secondhand stores around town. And he was sleeping on a mattress on the floor, but it’d been like spending the night in a four-star hotel compared to Hotel Greyhound.

The one thing that he had yet to adjust to was right there in front of him, though. This little park wasn’t terribly far from his apartment, but it was full of things that were green. Trees, grass, bushes, flowers - all sorts of things a kid growing up in Las Vegas never really saw. And the whole time he’d been in college in Pasadena, he’d spent all of his time working instead of looking at sights.

Here, now, Spencer Reid had the time to look at these things. A few days before he started in the FBI Academy, having been invited by Jason Gideon. He practically idolised the man, but just this once, he wanted some hours to himself, to adjust to being in a completely different environment.

He cast his gaze over the park, looking at people picnicking, others walking dogs, some laying in the sun and enjoying the warmth. At the thought of warmth, though, he had to laugh to himself. After years of desert life, there was no such thing as enough heat. Even now, he had a small space heater set up in his bedroom and in the outdoors, he wore a sweater.

After moving cross-country, the second thing he’d bought had been a sweater. The first had been the very-necessary toilet paper.

His amused smile faded as he caught sight of someone standing about twenty yards away. A man, older than him, in a pristine business suit. His hair was dark, just slightly brushing his forehead, and even from this distance, Spencer felt sure that his eyes were brown. He could only tell, though, he told himself, because those eyes were fixed on him.

Shyly, he looked away. Spencer had never been good at appearing friendly at a distance, let alone being approachable. It was so much easier to avoid contact than initiate it, and being looked at that way… How was he supposed to react?

Besides, what did a look like that mean? Usually, it meant he was going to be targetted. Hopefully the man in the business suit wasn’t planning to mug him as soon as he got out of a public area. He’d be disappointed if he did. He had seventeen dollars in his wallet and thirty-four cents in loose change in his pockets. No credit cards, barely a driver’s license.

Braving his own doubts, he looked up again to find that he wasn’t being looked at anymore but the man was still there. So maybe it was just someone who frequented this park. Someone who hadn’t seen him here before. And that was fair. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? That explained everything.

He indulged himself just a little, though. The man was definitely attractive, he thought. Not overly muscular, though his suit was cut to flatter his shoulders. That meant he wasn’t incredibly physically intimidating. But he held himself with confidence, back straight, head lifted, and though his eyes were narrowed against the sunlight, Spencer was somehow sure there was very little he was missing.

So, he thought, Gideon’s voice in his mind, how would he profile him? High powered businessman? No. He wasn’t inextricably attached to his cell phone. Lawyer, perhaps. That thought stuck. Lawyer. Confident. Maybe a prosecutor. One who tended to win more often than lose, judging by his posture. But there was something about him that convinced Spencer that he wouldn’t be cocky. He thought, as he looked the man over, that it was the set of his jaw.

And then there were those eyes again. Dark brown. Sincere. Catching him staring. Crap. With a guilty, apologetic smile, he looked away. That was twice and that meant it was time for him to head home, kicking himself all the way. Now he’d never know if his impromptu profile was correct.

He’d almost put the incident out of his mind by the time he entered the Academy and lost himself in classes again. Learning had always been his strong point and the Academy was no different, even if he was terrible with a handgun and they’d waived most of his physical requirements for the sake of having his memory and IQ on their side.

When Gideon called him into his office one day after class, though, that day in the park came back en force. “I want to introduce you to the BAU’s Unit Chief, Aaron Hotchner. Aaron, this is Doctor Spencer Reid.”

And there he stood. The man in the business suit. Dark brown eyes, black hair, a near-smile on his face, and a wedding ring on his left hand. One detail Spencer hadn’t been able to see from yards away. He forced his best smile onto his face and extended his hand. This was going to get interesting.


End file.
